Monday, June 29, 2015

Mama used to say, "Buckle your seatbelts," when she had a long story to tell us.

She was quite a story teller.

So hold on and buckle up.

I ventured out today and found a new place to dig and plunder.

Upon entering I was hit with a foul odor that almost turned me around.

It was a mix between a nasty trash dump and mold and mildew.

Some say it was under water during the Nasvhille 2010 flood.

Hey, but the thrill of the hunt will pull us junkers into some very strange and scary places.

I went to search for a couple of car seats. This place is like a salvage store

that gets all the damaged boxes of merchandise from other retail stores.

I didn't find what I was looking for but I did find this.

The regular retail price was $20. (It's a small mirror) Their price was $8.

You are given an additional discount depending on the date on the item.

It was dated 2/10/15 so I was hoping for a big discount.

When I went to check out, she said,"That will be 86 cents."

What??? You have got to be kidding.

It was a whopping 90% off. You can't find that kind of deal at Goodwill.

I like it.

It's very Shabby Chic with the etching around it.

I love mirrors.

According to Wikipedia, a mirror image is a reflected duplication of an object

that appears identical but is reversed.

While working with different youth groups, I would have them pass around a mirror and

have them look at themselves.

It's funny how some teenager guys liked what they saw and some of the girls passed the mirror

quickly to the next person.

That's not what I see today or maybe these girls are asking for validation. I'm amazed at all the selfies I see on facebook even of grown women. Oh PLEASE!

But that's another soapbox.

When the mirror was back to me,

I'd ask these questions:

What do you see?

What do you want to see?

And what is going to take to get there?

Answers varied as did each individual.

It's amazing what you discover when you have a group of youth

who have grown together, cried together, prayed together, loved and lost together.

There's assimilation and trust that makes the group real with each other and

not afraid of attacks from one another. A bond that is not easily broken.

There was always someone who would break down and admit they had failed God.

Sometimes we knew, sometimes we didn't.

Just one moment of vunerability and the rest of the group opens up.

A shy, self-concious 14 year old girl admits that she feels ugly or fat or too skinny.

"My daddy gets drunk and I'm scared. Can I come live with you?"

"I did something really bad that no one knows about and I can't share with anyone."

"I went out with the guys last night and got drunk."

"I don't care if anyone likes me or not." (so NOT true.)

Some things were shared alone,

"I'm having sex with my boyfriend." (I already knew. I just did.)"

"I had an abortion."

"I'm looking at girlie magazines." (There was no internet then.)

"I'm cheating on my boyfriend."

"I'm leaving home. No one knows. I've got to get out of there." (An abusive home)

The part I liked best was the answer at the end of the last question.

What do you want to see or Who do you want to be?

I've sat with teenagers on pews at church,floors at youth prayer meetings, on bunks in dorms, and around campfires at retreats. They don't usually see what I see. They don't usually see their God-given potential. They rarely see their beauty.

The Me I See may not be the real me.

The Me You See may not be the real you.

The Real You that God sees is wonderfully and fearfully made. That I know full well.

I've read Psalm 139. Read it. You'll see!

God, help me to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Forgive me when I judge what I don't understand.

I have three pending posts still out there.
I guess you could say I've been in Blogger's Block
for 6 months now.

I'm so sorry, my friends.
Please hang in there with me!

Harper is 6 months old now and already loves books!
She's now trying to turn pages.
Nothing like the feel of the pages of a good book!

We kept these babies last night while Mommy and Daddy
went to a Brian Adams concert.
We played outside. Connor was exhausted and went right to bed.
Cora is an easy baby and goes to bed with her thumb and blanket
without a whimper. Last night she was having so much fun she still wanted to play.

They are all my heart.

The transition has been enough to send me reeling
but these babies have kept me balanced and sane.

Maybe the change has just left me blah,
but a happy, content kind of blah.

David has a job with benefits! Yippee!
Benefits for me too!
Now, that stirs my emotions.

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

If you have never followed Just Simply Linda, try visiting. She is a 100% mess! She makes me laugh. She is not afraid to share her views. Like her or love her, she's real. That's what I look for in a friendship. She is loyal and loves with a big heart. She is an entertainer! She and I share some common peeves:)1. June is National Great Outdoors Month. Have you spent any time appreciating the great outdoors this month? If so where, and if not do you have any plans to enjoy the great outdoors before the calendar turns? The humidity in the South is like none other! If it weren't for this pool that I am enjoying with the kiddos, I'd stay inside. The niece and nephew are coming next week so we'll do some putt-putt and everything else will be near water. I'm learning about the new splash pads around here. You go to play with the kids, get a little wet and stay cool. Works for me!

Don't what crazy thing happened with the camera on this one.Scooting around the pool with my buddyis keeping me active for sure!

I'm loving the pool with the GRANDS.Today is my daughter in laws birthday.Another fun day!

2. What's a current hot button issue for you? Insurance!!! Have you tried to complete the paper work or talk to a representative. I can't tell you how much time we've spent with agents and I'm still not sure if we have coverage. Yes, I hate to admit that I had to talk Obama care. I spent 4 hours on the phone only to find out that I had to talk to someone else and say the same thing. I hung up. We talked to a GA agent for 3 hours before we left and then a TN agent for 3 hours here. We've decided to pay one more month Cobra using the severance pay which is running out. Do you know that Cobra costs us almost $1400 a month. Yes, I am ranting! Hopefully, Mr. H. will have a job with insurance by then. PRAYERS PLEASE!

3. What's a food or treat that 'disappears like hotcakes' in your house? Ice cream, peanut butter and chips.

5. Do you have an artistic outlook on life? What does that mean to you? Art to me is more than just the beauty in nature. It's music and drama. Our daughter is going back to play Sandi at the opening of the new theatre at her high school Alma Mater in September. I can't wait!

6. What's one question you'd like to ask your father, or one you wish you could ask your father? Sometimes, I want to talk to him so bad. He was always my strong man, the one that could answer the tough questions and the one I talked to when I had questions about money. I'd ask him now what to do about insurance. 7. Something you learned from your father? How to love others with a servant's heart. He never said anything bad about anyone. He was a pastor with a pastor's heart. You don't see much of that today.

8. Insert your own random thought here. I am thinking about my purpose in life these days. Although I'm loving this time with my grandchildren, I sometimes feel like I'm in limbo. I'm certainly not complaining. They give me purpose, but I do feel called to help others. I want to find my place of ministry. I want to find the job that brings me joy in serving others. That's who I am.Thanks, Linda for sharing your thoughts so I could share mine.